Vancouver Neighbourhood: Mount Pleasant

Neighbourhood Overview

One of Vancouver’s old neighbourhoods, Mount Pleasant is steeped in history and home to a wide variety of charming and eclectic retail outlets, restaurants and professional services.

Mount Pleasant has seen steady population growth, thanks to large new residential developments and the renewal of commercial spaces.

It is a hub for creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship, with established iconic shops and restaurants, mingling with a wave of new storefronts and pop-ups.

Led by its murals and breweries, Mount Pleasant was instrumental in introducing new style and attitude to many parts of Vancouver.

30-34

Years

Dominant Age Group of Residents

65604

Residents

Population in 2016

78.4%

English

Dominant Language

$28.5

Per sq. ft.

Average Lease Rate

People

Population by Age

Mount Pleasant BIA catchment area is home to 65,604 residents. A young and vibrant neighbourhood, it has a higher share of residents aged 20-34 (31%) than Vancouver (27%) and Metro Vancouver (22%). The area has also seen population growth of 15.5% between 2011 and 2016.

Language & Ethnic Origin

English is the dominant language spoken in the home (78%), at significantly higher levels than Vancouver and Metro Vancouver (both at 66%). Residents reporting Chinese heritage accounted for 19%, lower than Vancouver (28%) and Metro Vancouver (21%).

Family Structure

Mount Pleasant is home to a slightly lower proportion of married couples (37%) compared to Vancouver (40%) and Metro Vancouver (49%). Similar to Vancouver, 55% of households are families. The average number of persons per household (2.3) is similar to Vancouver (2.2) but lower than Metro Vancouver (2.5).

Education & Occupation

The dominant education level for Mount Pleasant area residents is a Bachelor’s Degree (29%), above both Vancouver (26%) and Metro Vancouver (20%). The most common occupations for residents are in sales and service (21%), and the area has a higher percentage of residents over the age of 15 who are employed (74%) than both Vancouver (64%) and Metro Vancouver (62%).

Income & Spending

Mount Pleasant is home to relatively high-income households, with 34.6% earning over $100,000 per year. Despite this figure, the average annual expenditure per household ($80,121) is slightly lower than Vancouver ($84,710) and Metro Vancouver ($87,106).

Place

Zoning

Mount Pleasant is one of the few BIAs with a sizable industrial business base, with 12% of all commercial space used for industrial purposes. 77% of the commercial space is zoned at C3-A and the remainder of the space is primarily C-2 (21%). Other zoning types in the BIA include IC-2 (1%), I-1 (<1%), and CD (Comprehensive Development) (<1%). The BIA offers 16 office buildings with approximately 75 offices, and 220,500 sq. ft. of office space.

Housing

85% of all dwellings in the Mount Pleasant catchment area are apartments. This is above Vancouver (80%) and Metro Vancouver (58%). A mix of old and new, 28% of housing in the BIA was built before 1960, while 29% has been built since 2001.

Community

A centre of activity, Mount Pleasant Community Centre and Library is within close walking distance of the BIA. There are also five parks nearby including Mount Pleasant Park, Tea Swamp Park, Guelph Park, Major Matthews Park and Jonathan Rogers Park. Key events each year are Car Free Day (June) and the Vancouver Mural Festival.

Doing Business Here

Business Mix

378 businesses operate within the Mount Pleasant BIA. More than half of them (53%) are concentrated within the retail (33%) and accommodation & food service (20%) sectors. The BIA has a lower proportion of professional, scientific and technical service businesses (6%) compared to Vancouver and Metro Vancouver (both 15%).

Commercial Business Size

More than half of all businesses within the Mount Pleasant BIA (55.5%) have fewer than five employees. However, more than 10% employ 20 or more people. The BIA’s largest reporting employers are Buy-Low Foods, Eight Technologies (data analytics), Mount Pleasant Community Centre and Shoppers Drug Mart.

Opportunities

Business opportunities, based on market demand, could include recreational spaces and another major bank. Retail vacancy rates are low (in the range of 7%), with lease rates in the range of $28.50 per sq. ft. Office space has higher vacancy rates (up to 25%).

Mount Pleasant

One of Vancouver’s old neighbourhoods, Mount Pleasant is steeped in history and home to a wide variety of charming and eclectic retail outlets, restaurants and professional services.

Mount Pleasant has seen steady population growth, thanks to large new residential developments and the renewal of commercial spaces.

It is a hub for creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship, with established iconic shops and restaurants, mingling with a wave of new storefronts and pop-ups.

Led by its murals and breweries, Mount Pleasant was instrumental in introducing new style and attitude to many parts of Vancouver.

Read All

30-34

Years

Dominant Age Group of Residents

65604

Residents

Population in 2016

78.4%

English

Dominant Language

$28.5

Per sq. ft.

Average Lease Rate

People

Place

Doing Business Here

Population by Age

Mount Pleasant BIA catchment area is home to 65,604 residents. A young and vibrant neighbourhood, it has a higher share of residents aged 20-34 (31%) than Vancouver (27%) and Metro Vancouver (22%). The area has also seen population growth of 15.5% between 2011 and 2016.

Language & Ethnic Origin

English is the dominant language spoken in the home (78%), at significantly higher levels than Vancouver and Metro Vancouver (both at 66%). Residents reporting Chinese heritage accounted for 19%, lower than Vancouver (28%) and Metro Vancouver (21%).

Family Structure

Mount Pleasant is home to a slightly lower proportion of married couples (37%) compared to Vancouver (40%) and Metro Vancouver (49%). Similar to Vancouver, 55% of households are families. The average number of persons per household (2.3) is similar to Vancouver (2.2) but lower than Metro Vancouver (2.5).

Education & Occupation

The dominant education level for Mount Pleasant area residents is a Bachelor’s Degree (29%), above both Vancouver (26%) and Metro Vancouver (20%). The most common occupations for residents are in sales and service (21%), and the area has a higher percentage of residents over the age of 15 who are employed (74%) than both Vancouver (64%) and Metro Vancouver (62%).

Income & Spending

Mount Pleasant is home to relatively high-income households, with 34.6% earning over $100,000 per year. Despite this figure, the average annual expenditure per household ($80,121) is slightly lower than Vancouver ($84,710) and Metro Vancouver ($87,106).

Zoning

Mount Pleasant is one of the few BIAs with a sizable industrial business base, with 12% of all commercial space used for industrial purposes. 77% of the commercial space is zoned at C3-A and the remainder of the space is primarily C-2 (21%). Other zoning types in the BIA include IC-2 (1%), I-1 (<1%), and CD (Comprehensive Development) (<1%). The BIA offers 16 office buildings with approximately 75 offices, and 220,500 sq. ft. of office space.

Housing

85% of all dwellings in the Mount Pleasant catchment area are apartments. This is above Vancouver (80%) and Metro Vancouver (58%). A mix of old and new, 28% of housing in the BIA was built before 1960, while 29% has been built since 2001.

Community

A centre of activity, Mount Pleasant Community Centre and Library is within close walking distance of the BIA. There are also five parks nearby including Mount Pleasant Park, Tea Swamp Park, Guelph Park, Major Matthews Park and Jonathan Rogers Park. Key events each year are Car Free Day (June) and the Vancouver Mural Festival.

Business Mix

378 businesses operate within the Mount Pleasant BIA. More than half of them (53%) are concentrated within the retail (33%) and accommodation & food service (20%) sectors. The BIA has a lower proportion of professional, scientific and technical service businesses (6%) compared to Vancouver and Metro Vancouver (both 15%).

Commercial Business Size

More than half of all businesses within the Mount Pleasant BIA (55.5%) have fewer than five employees. However, more than 10% employ 20 or more people. The BIA’s largest reporting employers are Buy-Low Foods, Eight Technologies (data analytics), Mount Pleasant Community Centre and Shoppers Drug Mart.

Opportunities

Business opportunities, based on market demand, could include recreational spaces and another major bank. Retail vacancy rates are low (in the range of 7%), with lease rates in the range of $28.50 per sq. ft. Office space has higher vacancy rates (up to 25%).